I woke up after much too little sleep, crawling into the lobby for breakfast, then getting my stuff together for the flight out. I was sure that I was carrying more stuff than on the way in, including some books. I put a few of the books in with my CPAP, hoping that my bags were under the fifty-pound limit. I had heard some horror stories on the way out about people having to pay over a hundred dollars more for an overweight bag. Then I hauled my stuff up to the lobby and asked them to call a cab. After a few minutes of sitting I decided to wait outside.

The sound of jets was very noticeable outside. I was about a mile from Nellis AFB, and there had been a lot of jets in the air the night before. I looked up and over at the sound and saw four jets cruising through the air in a diamond formation. A little later a couple of them were flying at each other. I was wondering if these were the Thunderbirds, the US Air Force precision flying team. I found out later that they were. And also, much later, that one of the pilots had died in a crash. They put on a good show, but precision flying is a dangerous business, they and the Blue Angels are always losing pilots. The taxi finally pulled up, and I rode in the front with the driver and talked on the way.

The driver told me his daughter was interested in becoming a writer, and I gave him a card so she could follow my blog. We had an interesting conversation about a number of subjects. We got to the terminal and he was very helpful in getting my bags out, and soon I was checked in at the American Airlines outside check in, my large bag weighed (I came in five pounds under the limit!) and I was heading into the terminal and the dreaded TSA checkpoint.

What I don’t like about TSA, even when they are nice, which isn’t often, is the lines you have to get into and the hurry up attitude of everyone. I don’t hurry well. I have learned to have my computer bag already out of my carryon so I can save time. I got everything into their containers and through the scanners, and went through the person scanner without a hitch. Then it was to the trams to the actual gates. They actually didn’t try to rush me this time. That’s good, because I never hurry up when rush, and in fact slow down.

What always cracked me up about McCarran International were the slot machines and other gambling games all over the place. There was a whole bank of them by the gates, with an attendant to make change for people wanting to play the slots. Las Vegas doesn’t want you escaping with any money they might be able to get. In three trips I have spent a total of seventy cents on the slots, and that was at the Piute Indian Truck Stop outside of Valley of Fire State Park. I know the house has it rigged to win enough to make a living, and I’m not really interested in helping them.

I tried several times to get in touch with Budget and tell them that they car was not coming back. At least not today. All I could get were messages, and I left a couple of my own letting them know what was going on. I finally gave up. I had a flight to catch, and my message let them know what happened. I would deal with the mess when I got home.

I had bought seat upgrades to get more leg room, and that actually made the flight more comfortable. The seats still were butt numbing, but you could actually get up without making your fellow passengers move for you. A really nice young man helped me to stow my bags overhead, I strapped in, and started a conversation with the guy in the Virginia Tech shirt. He was a true fan, and knew a lot about my school as well, so we had a good conversation about sports and what had happened in the day. I made a comment about how I really hated the Uconn Women’s Basketball Team, and the nice young man beside me said, “and we were getting along so well.” That was when I noticed the Husky on his sweatshirt. Oops. We still got along for the rest of the trip.

We landed at Charlotte International on time, and then it was another long walk to another gate. First, I checked to make sure they hadn’t changed the gate. That had happened in the past, and I had made the long trudge to a gate only to find that the flight had been changed to another terminal. Somehow one of the food courts was on the way, and I stopped at a BBQ place to get a full meal. Not too bad for airport food, and I wish I could remember the name so I could shout them out.

The flight to Tally boarded on time, then sat out away from the gate for about fifteen minutes before moving. I never did find out what was going on, but since I was a prisoner on the plane it really didn’t matter. Again I got the extra leg room, which meant I didn’t have a seat in front of me since that was the arrangement of the first class section. The young lady next to me was an FSU student and I talked with her a bit, then went to reading. We landed close to on time in Tally, then had an inordinately long wait for baggage. I had to crack up when they announced arrival at Tallahassee International, and advised that we check the gate of our connecting flight if this wasn’t our final stop. Yeah, check the gate at Tallahassee, the International Airport with four gates.

Last time through I had to wait for the second shift of taxis. With the baggage delay, and another bunch of passengers from another flight getting theirs, I was afraid it was going to happen again. And it was getting on to midnight. Fortunately, almost everyone else here had someone waiting for them, and there was a cab right outside the exit. Another cab ride, another conversation, and then I was home. The cats were all waiting for me (except the black cat, who as usual was hiding when I’ve been away for more than a day). All healthy and asking for petting. Even Bobbie, my eighteen year old bobtail who has been diagnosed with kidney failure for the last year and a half. He’s thin as a rail and is always drinking water, but as soon as I sat down in my office he was in my lap, purring away. Tough kitty, and I was glad to see him.

I slept the sleep of the dead that night. I had held up for two weeks of constant travel, a couple of sleepless nights, and the wonder of seeing some of the most beautiful places on Earth. It took a week to get back to normal, whatever the hell that is.

It had been a good trip. I had seen a lot, learned a lot, experienced a lot. Not everything had been good, but that was life. Fortunately the hit and run had not injured me, the snow had not forced me to stay up in Canyonlands, I hadn’t been mugged walking to the strip. I saw a lot of beautiful country, met some interesting people, learned some valuable lessons. I can’t wait to do it again. Later I would go through the hassle of dealing with Budget and the Insurance companies. The adjuster for Geico, my company, out of Arizona, was great, and smoothed everything over, so there was that. My premiums went up, but not by a huge amount, so I’m sticking with them.

I had nailed down all the locations for my post apocalyptic novel, had my spirits lifted, and made it back in one piece. What could be better. Next time I will avoid going into crowded areas like Las Vegas on a holiday weekend, and driving strange interstates under construction at night. I also learned that unless I get in much better shape, a problem at my age, not to sign up for adventures like four wheeling through the desert. I spent way more money than I should have, but met and talked with some interesting people. Starting off with Wonderhussy, the woman who does travel vids of the Great American Southwest and was my guide on my first full day out there, to the Lion Keeper at Lion Habitat Ranch, to all the Park Rangers, and finally to the people on the plane. I have learned through the years that the best thing you can accumulate are memories, and this trip crammed a lot of them into my brain.

I awoke in my apartment at Goulding’s after a very good night’s sleep on a comfortable bed. My first thought was to see if I could stay one more night. I wanted to hit the Moki Dugway and Valley of the Gods the next day, and my next scheduled hotel was in Blanding. That would involve doubling back, which I didn’t want to do. And besides, I was already in the room here, and wouldn’t have to move. Little did I know at the time that I should have gone ahead and driven to the Rodeway Inn in Blanding, where I had a room reserved.

My neighbor at the Goulding’s Lodge Apartments.

After breakfast at the Stagecoach Restaurant I went to the registration desk, and was told that I would not be able to keep the room for another night. I kind of stormed out, only to have the young lady run after me to tell me I could keep the room after all. Satisfied that I would get another good night’s sleep, I went back to my room after a stop at the local store and prepared for my tour.

Looking at one of the larger mesas.

The tour was in a truck fitted out with seats on the bed. There were two couples along on the tour, and I sat near and talked with a couple from Bavaria who were touring the United States on motorcycle. The wife spoke the most English, so she served as translator. We first stopped at an authentic Hogan, the traditional dwelling of the Navajo, right across the street from the lodge. An elderly woman showed us how they made and died the wool used on the blankets, then set up the hair of one of the women in a traditional Navajo style. After that it was across the road to the way into the Navajo Park that contained the wonders of Monument Valley.

Navajo Hogan.

I had come this way in July of 2017. I hadn’t done my research, and thought that I was driving through Monument Valley. Only to find, after I got home, that I had missed the greatest part of it. We stopped at The View, the park hotel, restaurant and gift shop, for a bathroom and picture break, then headed into the valley. Now, if you paid to enter the park you could drive your own vehicle, though some of the roads were restricted to tours only. Seeing a car from Vermont stuck in the sand on one hill it seemed that letting the professional drive was the right choice.

Our Tour Limo.

The guide, a Navajo man, gave us the facts about the various monuments, including some of the films they had been featured in. He also taught us how to say hello in Navajo, and sang one of their songs along the way. I made a mental note to look up some of the movies he mentioned. I had seen most of them before, but this time I could look at the settings with some knowledge of where they were. I asked the guide about how the monuments had come to be, and all he could say was this area had been under water millions of years ago. We’ll, he wasn’t a geologist, so I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything more. I asked him about buffalo in the park (they had buffalo in the movie I had seen the night before). His answer was ‘Hollywood’, and that there had never been buffalo in this area.

The Three Sisters.

The valley was spectacular. Rock formations everywhere. People actually live out here, and the guide told us how dark it gets at night (something I got to experience that night). We made our way to John Ford Point, where a lot of movie scenes were shot. There was a horse on the point and people were paying to having their pictures taken on the animal. Walking toward it I would have sworn it was a statue of a horse since it didn’t move a muscle, not even an ear. Then it moved a leg, and I realized that it was a living animal, just extremely well trained. One of the other people on the tour said the kid with the horse said it was his sister’s animal. We passed some horseback tours on the way further into the valley.

Another of the fantastic formations.

It was only a two-hour tour, but we saw plenty. There are four-hour backcountry tours for those who really want to get into the heart of the place. Two hours was plenty, and I gave the guide a nice tip. Another tour, one of the longer ones, was staging in the parking lot when we got back, and it looked like that truck was going to be full. I highly recommend Monument Valley. Not as spectacular at the Grand Canyon, but what is? Still, the formations are a snapshot in geological history. None of this was permanent, as strange as that seems when talking about rocks. The scree slopes of monuments, the rocks precariously balancing above, showed that these structures were in the process of collapsing. It would take time, probably millions of years, before they were gone, but it would happen.

Two of the monuments featured in the John Wayne movie ‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.’

I took quite a bit of video with my selfie stick on the way, and I spent the evening going over some of it. I had a lot of trouble getting the Wifi to come up and finally gave up. I decided to hit the sack early, get up early, and hit the road. The Dugway and Valley of the Gods awaited.

View fron John Ford Point.

I woke up a couple of hours later as my fan and CPAP stopped working. There was no power, and now I knew what pitch black night looked like. I could see my hand in front of my face. The only light I had was from my cell phone and my Kindle. Good thing, because I wouldn’t even have been able to find the bathroom. I waited for several hours, reading, for the power to come on and it didn’t. Finally, I decided I needed to get some sleep, though I really didn’t like the idea of sleeping without the CPAP, since I had gotten so used to it in the almost two years I had been using it. I finally dozed off, then woke up in a panic, gasping for breath, my heart pounding, in the middle of a panic attack. I’ve only had maybe three panic attacks in my life, and they’re never pleasant. I believe I had stopped breathing and was fortunate to have woken up.

A distant look in the valley.

I talked to the manager about it the next morning. The power came back on about forty minutes before I was supposed to wake up. So I had a day with no rest to look forward to, and I had to get moving. I suggested that they get some battery packs and let the guests know they had them. The guy in the apartment next to me had complained that his daughter’s medicine needed refrigeration, and he had been forced to go out and find ice that night. Into a landscape entirely without power. Later that day I learned that a huge swath of the reservation had gone without power. I’m sure it’s an infrequent event, but it does happen, and next trip I may have to find a way to bring my power inverter with me. But the night was over, and it was time to head off to the next adventure.

The next day it was still overcast. I had been to this part of the country in mid-February of 2017, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The air was so clear you could see for thirty miles. In July of 2017 I could see small rains in the distance. This trip was the first time I had seen the sky totally overcast, and I wasn’t digging it. But, as a Park Ranger said to me later in the trip, nature gives you what it gives you. So I was off to the Grand Canyon National Park, driving down Hwy 89. Once again beautiful mountains and views, some spectacular cuts and overviews, a great drive. This was Navajo country, and I was starting to notice quite a few falling apart trailers and just about done roadside stands. My first trip to the Grand Canyon hadn’t seen me go up this way, so this was new territory.

The edge of the Painted Desert.

From past blogs people might remember I had wanted to see the Painted Desert. I had found a swatch of it on the north end of Petrified Forest National Park, but I wanted to drive through it. I noticed that as I got to the turn off to Tuba City the colors of the formations were looking a lot like the Painted Desert. I was going to drive toward Tuba City later in the day, so it was looking like I was about to hit the jackpot. I stopped at the Cameron Trading Post just past the bridge over the Little Colorado River. I bought a couple of cokes and a handmade Dreamcatcher. Not really anything I needed, but I liked what I saw. They wrapped it well and I was on my way. If you get this way I can recommmend this trading post, which is really a well stocked first class gift shop.

The Watchtower on the east end of Grand Canyon National Park.

There is now a roundabout at the junction of Hwys 89 and 64 (the road into the park). I thought they were interesting when I was in Europe. I hate the damn things in our country. There were a couple of wrecked cars and a covering of broken glass in this roundabout, along with the usual emergency vehicles. If I had wanted to go to Flagstaff there would have been a delay, but the way to the park was open. I was looking forward to taping the way in to the park. There are fantastic mountains, stretches of forest, and views of the Little Colorado River gorge. More on that later.

The Colorado River, running through the center of the Grand Canyon.

It was still overcast, and I was climbing in elevation into the park, reaching over seven thousand feet. It was looking like the view into the canyon was not going to be good. I asked the ranger at the fee station and she said that it had been socked in by clouds the day before, but in the late morning they had faded and left a great view. I was hoping for the same.

Viewpoint of the Grand Canyon.

The first stop was Desert View and the Watchtower. The clouds were really covering up the canyon, and I was beginning to think this was a wasted trip. When I got down to the edge I was surprised to see that the clouds had dissipated enough to offer a good view. Not great, but good enough to see the canyon in its glory, if not all of it. The desert view, miles and miles to the east, wasn’t very good. I guess you can’t have everything, and I had taken shots of that view in clear weather on the last trip. The Desert View Station has just about everything the main visitors’ center at the other end of the park has. Coffee shop, gift shop and restaurant. It wasn’t time to eat yet, but it was very cold outside, so I got a coffee before heading to the next stop. So far both the walking pole and the selfie stick I was using had proven their worth. I will have links to their sales pages at the end of this blog. I’m getting nothing for plugging them, but if I find something of great use, I want to trumpet their worth.

Grand Canyon viewpoint.

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon before, go. I really can’t say this enough. The pictures are great. It even looks awesome on an ultra-high definition wide screen TV. But until you actually stand there, looking out over miles of rock layers that were laid down in shallow seas over billions of years, you really don’t understand. So go, before you leave this Earth.

Woods at the top of the canyon.

I stopped at all of the viewpoints up to and including Grandview Point, the last before getting into the congestion of the visitor’s center. There were a lot of people out, even on a cold day. Some Chinese girls were playing a little too close to the cliff edge for my comfort, but otherwise everyone seemed to be taking it safe. At one viewpoint there was a score of so backpackers getting ready to head down the trail to the river. I was able to get some very good shots, talked to a bunch of people, and generally enjoyed myself, despite the weather.

Looking into the Little Colorado River Gorge.

I talked with one man with Georgia plates, thinking he might have driven here from my neck of the woods. Nope. He was a photographer who had rented the car in Vegas. I asked a guy in a car with Florida tags, family in tow, if he had driven from Florida. He said yes, and he came from a place I had probably never heard of called Wauchula. I let him know that my dad had grown up in that town. The guy was a sheriff’s deputy who had just retired, while his son had graduated early and was college bound. So he had gathered up the whole family and made the trip of a lifetime.

Amazing formmations of the Little Colorado Gorge.

On the way out of the park I stopped to take some shots of the Little Colorado River Gorge in the distance, and a family stopped with me to do the same. Probably thinking that if I did it then it was okay. Or if not, we would share in the guilt. I stopped next at the Navajo Park overlooking the gorge and they did the same. Talking with the dad, while his wife and daughters went shopping at the Navajo shopping stalls, I learned that his daughters had been playing too close to the edge at the canyon, something which had nearly caused him a heart attack. The Little Colorado Gorge is spectacular. Not near as wide as the one carved by the Colorado, probably less than a hundred yards across at the wide point, but with sheer walls dropping down to the small river at the bottom. A young woman was walking her dog, and the beast was pulling her toward the edge. She was having trouble controlling it until her boyfriend came along. There was a railing, but in some places it would be easy to go under without a problem, and it was a long drop.

I guess arachnds have now been moved to the reptilian order.

I stopped at the Burger King at the junction of 89 and 64, getting myself and my car filled up. Talking with the young Navajo man behind the counter, I asked about the Painted Desert. He asked me which way I was heading (Tuba city to Monument Valley) and he told me I had a spectacular drive ahead. Excited about the trip, I headed north, into the little section of the Painted Desert I had driven through that morning, and turned east onto US 160. The drive was spectacular, with vistas of multicolored pastel cliff faces all the way into Tuba City. I took lots of video and stills. That night, looking them over, I was a little bit disappointed that the colors didn’t come out the way I had remembered them. Another example of having to be there.

The Painted Desert.

From Tuba City I continued northwest on 160, then turned onto 163 north to Oljato-Monument Valley. Soon I was at Goulding’s Lodge, checking in, and signing up for a tour the next day. I had been planning to take a morning tour, then get on the road north right after, but the first tour that I wanted was at 1, so I needed to change my itinerary a bit. There was some confusion in finding the apartment I had booked, but I finally found it, got all of my stuff upstairs, and headed out to look over the Goulding’s land a bit. This included a small University outpost and an RV park. The apartment was cool, with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, really more than I needed. But when I had booked it the apartment was cheaper than the regular rooms. It would be perfect for two couples, or a pair of platonic friends, who wanted to spend a couple days out here. And after dinner I went to the theater to watch John Wayne in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, which featured many of the monuments in the valley. Afterwards it was back to the apartment to sleep the sleep of the exhausted.

Next up: Monument Valley and the Night From Hell.

The Alaska Life Selfie Stick: I love this thing. It locks in place and doesn’t budge, holding the camera perfectly steady. And I think you could knock out a bear with it.

Brown Mountain Trekking Poles: They come as a set of two, and I only use one. Much more handy than a regular cane, I use one in town. Quick release allows you to collapse and expand it in seconds. A very sturdy, well made set of poles.

I woke to my cell phone alarm and started to get myself ready for the day. Then, putting on my watch, I noticed that the time did not agree with the phone. A quick google search revealed that I had forgotten completely about Daylight Savings Time. Not a real problem, though I had gotten an hour’s less sleep than I had planned. I didn’t really have any plans for the day other than getting to Page, Arizona and catching as much of the Grand Staircase Escalante as I could. A Cuban-American friend had noted that Escalante meant staircase, so the name was kind of redundant. I had noted that they wanted their American visitors, not all of whom spoke Spanish, to understand the name. Anyway, there was no drive through except the one to Bryce, and I wasn’t going that way. So I would have to hope I got a good view of something along the way. I wasn’t disappointed.

An escarpment in the Grand Staircase. I would love to wake up to this every day.

Another breakfast at Porter’s. They had a special this day, two pork chops on a breakfast platter with eggs and sourdough biscuit. Yum. After breakfast it was back up Hwy 9 and the High Road, headed for Mt. Carmel Junction. I had gone there on the last trip, turning north on US 89 to head to Bryce. This time I would be heading south. Unfortunately, it was raining this day, and most of my video features windshield wipers going back and forth. Couldn’t be helped, and I still got some good footage. I stopped off at the huge convenience store at the Junction to get a couple of sodas, and then headed off toward Kanab.

Rock formation in the Grand Staircase Escalante Monunment.

There were some great vistas of the National Monument to my left as I drove, and rolling hills desert leading to the Grand Canyon Escarpment to my right. I was able to get some video, but unfortunately there were not enough pulloffs, and I had to make creative use of the shoulder to get some stills. The problem was, the Akaso, while getting great shots to the front and near sides, missed the views into the canyons, the shots that were so spectacular. Still, I got a good view of some of it. Being a National Monument, there were no paved roads piercing the center, nor were there any plans for putting any in. They want to keep the area as primitive and natural as possible, and I can’t blame them. Next time I may come this way with a four wheel drive and go down some of the dirt roads that penetrate the monument. I had wanted to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this trip, but it was closed until May. As I found out on this trip, there was still a lot of snow up in the higher altitudes, and the North Rim was much higher than the south.

Best Friend’s Animal Rescue visitor center.

North of Kanab I ran into a surprise. I had been told in Springdale that Good Friends Animal Rescue had a facility in Kanab, but I had figured they meant within the town. Now, miles from the city, I saw the sign. I pulled in to the visitor center and was disappointed to find out that they wouldn’t have a tour for another three hours. I didn’t have that kind of time, but took them up on the invitation to drive through the canyon myself. It was a huge property in a beautiful rocky canyon. They had horse pastures where they took care of the equines, including one I saw that was blind. There was a large animal graveyard, and cabins for dogs and cats. I was impressed. I donate to this organization, and it did my heart good to see the care they were giving to abused and abandoned animals. Kanab itself was not such a big deal, another small town, though much larger than most I had driven through on this trip.

Formations rising out of Lake Powell.

From Kanab I continued along US 89, and more miles of beautiful scenery, until I came to Lake Powell. Now I was in Arizona, which didn’t use Daylight Saving’s Time, so I regained my lost hour, for now. The large lake is formed by the back flow of the Colorado River from the Glen Canyon Dam. It’s a very large lake, and I only got to see a little of it. I went into the National Recreation Area and took some shots of the mesas that were sticking out of the water. Lake Powell is the first of the four lakes that have been formed by damming the Colorado River, and looks to be in good shape, with water up to the banks. There were many boats out on the lake, and many more in the storage buildings along its banks. From there I drove to the dam.

The Colorado River Gorge west of Lake Powell.

Bridge over the Colorado River Gorge.

A bridge spans the gorge a little bit out from the dam. To my left was the dam. I had seen on the way to the bridge that the water was about ten feet below the top of the dam. Now on the bridge I looked to the right, and felt my heart skip a beat. The narrow gorge seemed to plunge down a thousand feet to the river. I really had no way of telling the distance, but it was enough to evoke a feeling of vertigo. I continued on to a pull off and got a good look at the dam and the gorge, taking pictures. A little further up the road there was a sign pointing the way to the scenic overlook. I went that way and got an even better look at the gorge. Afterwards I went to McDonald’s for lunch, then a resupply run to Walmart. Then it was to La Quinta to check in. I took a nap, then went to Denny’s for dinner. I went to sleep that night, looking forward to the Grand Canyon National Park the next day, hoping for good weather.

Woke up realizing that this would be the last day of the first week of the trip. As usual, these things seemed to speed by too fast. When you’re a child, the hours seem to crawl by. Now, when I can enjoy the time, it seems to fly by at the speed of light.

We’re watching you.

The night before I was told by the owner of the hotel that my favorite breakfast place in Springdale, Porters (also known as Wiley’s because of the Roadrunner and Coyote decor) was closed. I am happy to report that this was not true, and I popped over there for a very good breakfast and lots of coffee. The waitress was very personable, and I had to ask her if the Buzzard statues over some of the booths had meaning. She laughed, and said that sometimes the staff turned the heads to look at a particular booth.

Walking toward The Narrows.

My handy-dandy Annual Pass got me through the gate to Zion, and I was soon in the parking lot waiting for the shuttle bus. As said in the last blog, the day before was the last day people could take cars deep into the park. They have too many visitors, and the road would soon be clogged. Fortunately they had a very good shuttle bus system, with a bus coming by each of the eight stops every five minutes or so. The buses were not crowded, and there was no wait, as there was last time. I think they were getting them ready for the rush, before they would be packed. Good thinking, as a couple of the buses broke down while I was in the park. Fortunately none of the vehicles I rode on. Just like last time I rode all the way to the end, to the Temple of Sinawava and the entrance to the narrows. I walked a short ways along the Virgin River, taping. The narrows are popular, but to my way of thinking too dangerous. If you’re an hour in when a flash flood hits, you could be in real trouble. Remember that term if you come out west. Flash Flood. They are real, and they are dangerous. An entire family had been swept away outside of Phoenix in July of 2017. And you would have to walk through cold water the entire way.

The Virgin River.

Zion will feature prominently in my post-apocalyptic work. It has water, trees, and sandstone cliffs that can be tunneled into. It also is defensible, with easily guarded entrances. And it’s geologically active. They have had river diverting landslides in the recent past, and expect to have them in the near future. The rocks are fantastic, cliffs everywhere. They have mule deer and California Condors (see, everyone with sense is trying to get out of California, including the birds). There are supposed to be some terrific hikes up the canyon walls, but in my current state of health they aren’t for me. Hopefully someday. There are also warning signs showing a figure about to hit a hard surface, with printed warning that it is possible to fall off the trails. So don’t go up with someone you don’t trust, though going up with someone you hate might be a plan.

You have been warned. People do fall off the cliffs, as the infographic shows.

I rode back through the park, stopping at each bus stop to get some video, then riding the next one to come along when I was ready. So I went to Angels Landing, Zion Lodge and Emerald Pools Trail. I walked in a bit on Emerald Pools Trail and got some great shots. Back at the visitor’s center I bought a book on the geology of the canyon and headed out looking for lunch. I know I could get the information online, but I still like to curl up with a book. The only problem I have is the weight restriction on airline bags, or I would come back with a hundred pounds of books. There was a restaurant through the pedestrian entrance to the park. Tired of all the burgers I had had over the last week, I ordered the fish n chips at the Zion Canyon Brewing Company. The lunch was okay, the service was good, and I got a meal in me before going back into the park to get my car and drive up the high road.

Cliff walls at Zion.

The High Road is Zion-Mt. Carmel Hwy, or Hwy 9. It goes upward on the canyon wall through six switchbacks before getting to the one mile long tunnel. Spectacular views, and a lot of traffic this day. A slight bit of drizzly rain, but fortunately not while I was driving or taping. The first time I came this way it blew my mind. I knew what to expect this time, so it wasn’t as much of a rush, but still gorgeous. On the other side of the tunnel is a different part of the park. There’s another short tunnel up the way, and a lot of pullovers so you can look at and take pictures of some of the most spectacular geology I have ever seen. Mountains like Checkerboard Mesa, several side canyons, and rock layers at various angles that defied my ability to explain how they had gotten that way. I video taped the entire way, then did the way back as well. Driving these routes, each way is completely different, since you are approaching them at different angles. I told the ranger at the park entrance up here that this was my favorite part of the park. She said that most people like the lower area the most, and I told her, ‘yes, but they don’t know geology.’

Shuttle Bus at Zion.

After leaving the park I drove up a couple of side streets in Springdale to catch some different views of the canyon, and stopped at the gift shop across the street from my hotel to redeem my coupon, then over to Zion Outdoor to pick up a day pack to replace the cheap Russian one I had brought with me, the one that had fallen apart. And another full day was in the books. I repaired back to my hotel to eat leftover pizza, not knowing that a couple of surprises would meet me in the morning.

I will be continuing my travelogue with my next post, but first I have some big news, and a shout out to some people you all may want to meet, if you haven’t already.

After about a month of talking and thinking about writing a novel in the Four Horsemen Universe of Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey, and finally coming up with a workable idea, I signed a contract to write a book in that Universe. When Eagles Dare will feature the Fierce Eagle Company, as featured in my short story in the anthology Few a Few Credits More, With The Eagles. In a universe where most of the mercenary companies use mecha and powered armor, the Eagles use good old-fashioned stealthcraft. So, this novel will be about that kind of mercenary unit. I am really excited about jumping into this universe. No, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to give up my own series and my independent career. Signing with Arc Manor to produce Kinship War didn’t mean that, and neither does this. But it is a big deal to get involved in this series.

Chris Kennedy has a winning formula here. I first met Chris, a retired Naval Aviator, at LibertyCon in Chattanooga, about four years ago. He was a successful independent author, and I had been working as a full-time author for over a year and a half. He was doing okay. Mark was struggling to get sales. They combined forces for a series and it took off. Both Mark and Chris are now full-time writers, and Chris is a publisher. The new paradigm of self-publishing allowed this. Chris and Mark both write in the Four Horsemen Universe, and imaginative setting filled with interesting aliens and the humans who are hired to kill them. For many years I have heard from my fans that they love how independent authors can put out more books in a series each year than a traditionally published author, who are normally limited to one. Chris and Mark, and the others they have enlisted into their cohort, allowing them to put out at least a book a month, are capitalizing on this fact. And the two anthologies of the series have helped other authors to be introduced to their reader base.

That’s what interested me in the anthology last year. Do I have enough fans to keep me going as a self-employed author? Yes, I do. Do I want more? Hell yes. Chris has a great business plan. And he has published a lot of really good authors. People like Kacy Ezell, Jason Cordova and Kevin Ikenberry. I have known Kevin for many years, dating back to Superstars in Colorado Springs. Kacy was on a panel I moderated at DragonCon, and is a kick ass Air Force helicopter pilot. Jason I also know from LibertyCon, and he was a Campbell Award Finalist some years back. So just getting into that crowd was also something of an attraction. So I will be doing at least one book in the series, a stand alone not in the main storyline, and see what happens. That means it will be my best effort, the same effort I put into Exodus, the same I put into the Kinship War series. I have gotten regular payments from the anthology. I hope for the same from the novel. And in other news, I will be back in the next anthology, due to release in early July I believe.

Now for a plug for Chris Kennedy Publishing, and not just because I will be doing a novel for them. It’s a good organization, that puts out a good product. Mark just put out a book called A Time to Run, not in the 4HU series, but it still looks interesting. Chris just put out a book in the 4HU with author Thomas A Mays called The Mutineer’s Daughter. Not in the 4HU series but recommended. If you want to get into the 4HU series the place to start is Cartwright’s Cavaliers. Or you can get the anthology I’m in, For a Few Credit’s More. Kevin has written Peacemaker, a part of the 4HU. Kacey Ezelle wrote Minds of Men, found on Amazon. And Jason has written Wraithkin with Chris, which can also be found on Amazon. A lot of good books by a lot of good authors, and I’m just scraping the top of the ice flow here. So get on over to Amazon and pick up some new reads. Or continue on with these series by a kick ass bunch of authors.

Up next: The Third Trip Out West, Part Six: Day Five: Death Valley and the Armagoosa Opera House Hotel.

I had bought a behind the scenes tour with Lion Habitat Ranch a month before the trip. They had sent an appeal for a donation. Now, I support a number of big cat rescues, as well as some little feline organizations. I will list some of them at the end of this blog with links. I could have sent them a check, but then I found out they were in Henderson, right outside of Las Vegas. And they had a private tour listed. So I signed up for the tour and to feed a lion. Which would get money in their hands and let me do something new. I had also planned to drive to Kingman in Arizona and film the way back, the way I had come into Las Vegas the first time. Unfortunately, I had a computer to shop for, so plans changed.

My first look at a male Barbary lion.

Waking up too early to get breakfast at the Bonnie Springs Restaurant, I ate at a McDonald’s in Vegas on the way. Pulling up at the Habitat I took some stills. I didn’t feel like trying to get video. I don’t know, I just didn’t want the hassle of asking and being refused. A news truck came by, passed, and then returned, to enter the gate just ahead of me. I met the lion keeper, and was told that a local news channel would be filming the first part of the tour. I asked how they knew a famous author like myself had come out here this day. So, we started in and saw the most dangerous animals on the habitat. The velociraptors, I mean, the ostriches. The keeper told me that they had to take special precautions with the ostriches, who would kick you to death in a heartbeat. They also had emus and a bunch of tropical birds scattered about. And then we were at the first lion habitat.

Male Barbary lion being fed by the Head Keeper.

I think the lion’s name was Bennie, though it could have been Benji, since they had both and they were brothers. He was a six hundred pound Barbary lion, a subspecies that no longer existed in the wild. They had several of both males and females, so I guess the breed is still alive for now. We went around looking at the cats. In one enclosure they had three elderly females, and a film playing on a TV of the wife of the habitat owner playing with them when they were cubs. The keeper fed the lions as we went along, giving them ground meat through the fence. All of the cats are hand fed, six days a week. It was explained that a fast day was good for them, and all except the elderly cats went without one day a week. We were also warned that the males will spray. While looking at one large cat he turned and lifted his tail. We had the choice of right or left, or straight back. And since the wall was less than fifteen feet away, the effective range of the lion, we all went right. When he saw us go he lost interest and trotted off.

I think this was one of the MGM lions.

The enclosures are all large, and they try to have several lions in each one, unless one is a wanabe alpha male, then they separate them. Each enclosure has a rolling cage that the lions can go in if a keeper needs to clean the enclosure, a daily task, and the cages can be rolled over to the heated inside washing station. The cats were all obviously very well cared for and I was suitably impressed by the operation. I saw several more of the Barbary lions, and the closest living relative of the MGM lion who roars at the beginning of their movies. It turns out that the MGM hotel in Vegas had those lions for quite some time, then gave them to the habitat.

Young giraffe looking down at me from its height.

They also have a young giraffe. I was allowed to feed it as well. Such a gentle herbivore, it could bow on command, and had a car wash brush on a pole to rub against. It delicately took vegetables and favorite cookies from my hand. I really hadn’t expected to feed this animal, and it was an extra treat.

Feeding a male Barbary lion.

Then it was time for the lion feeding. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had thought ahead of time that they might lead me into an enclosure with one of their milder beasts. I guess they thought this thing out more than I had. They put up a plastic barrier and I fed the lion through a hole with a wooden mortar. That really did make sense. These things are large predators, and they have been known to hook a claw into someone. And putting fingers near their mouths was not recommended. The keepers do it, but they are trained and know how to spot the body language signals of the lions. I fed the second of the Barbary Lion brothers, who licked it up, not missing a bit.

Don’t want to forget the girls.

As said, I was impressed by their operation, and will be making regular donations to them. There are so many rescues out there that are deserving, and I will continue to help the ones out I have already donated to. But this one, with the Barbary and MGM lions, seemed like a special cause to me. Plus, I had met these animals, which always makes them seem more real. So I will be doing what I can to help them out, and would appeal to anyone with a heart for animals, especially big cats, to do the same.

Sign at the back entrance of the Pioneer Saloon.

Then it was on to Goodsprings. I had a coupon they sent me, and wanted to see the inside of the saloon, after finding out some more about it from a, you guessed it, a Wonderhussy video. So it was onto I-15 South to get off at the Jean exit. I filmed this trip, and will be posting it on Youtube in the future. First I drove the road to Sandy Valley, a small community out in the middle of nowhere, but with some spectacular mountain scenery on the way. Then into Goodsprings. I had planned to eat in the saloon, but it was too crowded, so it was back to the all day restaurant I had eaten at twice before. I saw and talked with Johnny Utah, a young man from that state I had met there my first time through. After a good meal and some picture taking it was off to Best Buy to get a new computer.

The Carol Lombard and Clark Gable Memorial Room in the Pioneer Saloon. Gable sat in this room, drinking, while waiting to hear the fate of his wife, who had died in an airplane crash out in the desert.

Vegas has a lot of electronics stores. But Best Buy was the only one they had which I knew would also be in Tally. I wanted a machine that could be returned to them if something went screwy with it within the warranty period (unlike the last one, which died outside warranty, the bastard). I was hoping to buy a cheap notebook with a large (at least 1 TB) hard drive. No such luck, and this was just as expensive as the last. But I had it in hand, even if just to look over and save each day’s video take.

Mountains in Red Rock Canyon.

The last thing on the revised menu was Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. This is a fee area, and part of the Department of the Interior. Fortunately, my National Park Pass got me in without any additional fee. I had been here before, on my first trip out west, on the day I flew back to Tally on a redeye. It was really crowded then. Still a number of people this time, on a Tuesday afternoon, but not near as crowded. The first time I had seen the place I had thought it was small, having been fooled by the way the desert air made everything seem closer. This time I knew better, and even more importantly, I knew where the restrooms were. The place is very large, big enough to swallow a moderately sized city like Tallahassee. The rock formations here are spectacular, and can be separated into several different areas of the mountains that box in this natural wonder. They continue on outside of the conservation area to backdrop the Bonnie Springs Ranch Motel. I think this is the prettiest part of the Las Vegas area, with Joshua Trees (though the ones in the conservation area seemed to have met with some kind of killer plague), cactus and roving wild horses and donkeys.

The horror of the Chollo cactus. Avoid these vegetable demons at all costs.

I pulled back into Bonnie Springs after Red Rock Canyon and went to the zoo. I had promised myself I would go there, and since I had some time, it was now. I noticed there were a lot of Cholla cactus in the nearby desert, something I had not noted before, and I was glad I hadn’t wandered out there before I knew about the horror of the desert. Called jumping cactus, they drop sections, and have a barbed thorn that will stick in your skin. People try to pry them out, only to get another set of barbs caught in their hands. They are also a terror to animals. My solution would be to kill them with fire, but then I don’t know the environmental regulations out there.

The Serville cat at the Bonnie Springs Zoo.

My room key got me into the zoo for free. It wasn’t very large, but was well attended by children and parents, and the gentler herbivores, like some of the goats and deer, were roaming free to get pets and food. There were a pair of wolves, a serval cat, and several emus. The people who started the motel and ranch had taken in animals that were no longer wanted, and the zoo began. I have donated to it (it is a nonprofit) both times I’ve been out there.

It was a great second day, and after I ate and reviewed my film I slept the sleep of the exhausted. The next day was the last that I actually had to get up at a certain time. Burgers and Bullets, which included four wheeling in the desert and shooting some automatic weapons. Little did I know what was in store for me.

Links to donate to animal rescues. There are many more, but these are some of the ones that I support. All are worthy of support by people who love big cats and other predators.

The Lion Habitat Ranch. I really like this one because of the kind of cats they keep. Lions are cool, and Barbary lions even cooler. And they have the descendent of the MGM lions.

Tiger Creek. The first big cat rescue I ever gave to, and one still close to my heart.